CLASS INTERACTION  What sports do you believe are “Female sports”?  Netball  Gymnastics  What sports do you believe are “Male sports”?  Rugby  AFL  Soccer  Wrestling  Sunday night (30-1:35mins) 

CLASS ACTIVITY SPORTMIXED CUT OFF AGE Soccer Basketball Tennis Netball Swimming AFL Volleyball Rugby

SPORTMIXED CUT OFF AGE Soccer15-16 Basketball14-15 Tennis18-19 Netball15-16 Swimming? AFL Volleyball18-19 Rugby10-11

TWO 14-YEAR OLD GIRLS SAY THEY'RE THE VICTIMS OF SEXISM AFTER BEING DE-REGISTERED FROM THEIR FOOTBALL TEAM IN NEW SOUTH WALES. THE AFL WON'T LET THEM PLAY IN THE UNDER 15 COMPETITION BECAUSE THEY'RE FEMALE.

A SCHOOLBOY IS TAKING HIS FIGHT TO PLAY NETBALL IN A GIRLS' SIDE TO THE DISCRIMINATION WATCHDOG  Danny Loats, 11, is the only male player in the Banyule District Netball Association and has been picked in their representative sides two years running.  But after enjoying the backing of his Alphington teammates and rivals alike in his own league, their opponents refused to let him line up in a recent junior tournament.  loats/story-fn7x8me loats/story-fn7x8me

 Why do you think they are not being allowed to play?  What is the alternative for these children?

DAUGHTER PLAYING ON A BOYS TEAM  Should I Let My Daughter Play On the Boys' Team? Should I Let My Daughter Play On the Boys' Team? There are many factors for a parent and an aspiring young female athlete to consider when deciding whether she should play on a boys' team. Is she pretty adept at the fundamentals? Are her skills on equal footing with the boys? Does she thrive on the competition? Is the coach gender-blind - giving equal opportunities to every one? Is it an environment where masculinity and femininity are not questioned? If you can answer yes -- then let her play! Doreen Greenberg, Ph.D. teams#ixzz1X3DJZipe

 AGE  Junior sporting teams and competitions are defined by the age of the competitors.  However, with teenagers developing at different stages through their life you may find a situation where one person in the same age group is more physically developed, leading to an unfair disadvantage for the other competitors.

 PUBERTY AND BODY IMAGE  People develop at different speeds physically, socially and emotionally.  During puberty the feelings and emotions between the two genders develop and this can make playing mixed sports awkward.  Up until puberty - there are no differences in strength, endurance or speed.

 SPORT  Every sport will have different age restrictions due to the nature of the games themselves.  The aim of this is to have evenly matched competitors.  STRENGTH  Males are generally built to be stronger, so females are seen to be at a physical disadvantage during contact sports.  Once children reach puberty this factor becomes an issue as the bodies start to develop with the males strength becoming a lot stronger than the females.

 STEROTYPES  Stereotypes have been developed saying that if a female were playing AFL/Rugby they are not as feminine and may be labelled “butch”  Boys playing netball or doing dance are also subjected to the stereotypes and may be labelled “gay” or seen as less of a man.  These stereotypes have developed over a long period of time and may be outdated yet they still affect the way which people think.  FAMILY  Is the family financially sound? Will limited funds affect the choice of sport for children?  Does the child come from a competitive family? If so will the competitive nature encourage the child to be the best they can be? E.g. a girl wanting to play football against boys.  If a son/daughter wishes to participate in a sport dominated by the opposite sex will the parents encourage or will they take the view of girls should play girls sports and boys should play boys sports?

 PSYCHOLOGICAL  Girls are just as capable as boys of dealing with intense sports competition.  There's no avoiding it - some girls will be ashamed of their own power and some boys will feel their masculinity threatened by a co-ed situation.  Afraid to tackle them – in case they hurt them, or because they don't know if it is appropriate to touch girls (due to hormones).  Afraid to lose to them – teasing by mates, lower self esteem, negative outlook on physical activity/sports  There's more damage done to the self-identity of an aspiring athlete -when she's told that she can't play -because she is a girl!  if girl beat the boy does that raise her self esteem?  If a girl wants to play the boys, is it because she wants to be better? If yes does this mean she will benefit from it?

 PRIZE MONEY  Does prize money play a part in children playing sport? Do parents push children into sports with greater financial reward?  The prize money for the grand slams in tennis are equal for men and women, considering men have to play up to 5 sets and women only up to 3 throughout the tournament is this fair? What would happen if men played women?  If men and women were in the same draw would this affect a child’s decision to play tennis?

SOCIAL  Will what society see as being correct play a role in either encouraging or discouraging male/female sports.  Gender stratification in sport is socially constructed - not inherited. Before the 1970's, girls who played sports were often considered unfeminine and indecent.  Traditionally, boys are encouraged to get early experiences in sports.  Girls, starting skill training later -are at a disadvantage both sport-wise and confidence-wise.  Girls, too, need to learn how to be an assertive, achievement-oriented team-player  Parents need to look at the gender messages they send to their children - aggressive play for boys and passive play for girls begins very early in life  Will harassment occur at school, other social places towards someone playing a different gender sport?  Will this affect if the child continues or discourage others from also participating?  Will what the cool kids do affect what sports other students participate in?  Like fashion, what the cool kids wear everyone else wants to wear, what the media tells us to wear is worn.

 MEDIA  Advertisement is always either all Male or all Female sports.  Male advertisement is about the sports itself.  Female sports are about looks rather then skill or sport in the media.

 LOCATION/ENVIROMENT  Living in small country towns with limited sports means either they are allowed to play with the other gender or cannot play the sport at all.  If they are refused to play a negative outlook on physical activity/sports could be a possibility, potentially leading to health risks

HAVE ANYONES THOUGHTS CHANGED??? SPORTMIXED CUT OFF AGE Soccer Basketball Tennis Netball Swimming AFL Volleyball Rugby

SPORTMIXED CUT OFF AGE (before) MIXED CUT OFF AGE (after) Soccer Basketball Tennis Netball Swimming?Split genders in competitions AFL Volleyball Rugby

REFERENCES  Sunday night  Herald Sun  ABC- behind the news  Should I Let My Daughter Play On the Boys' Team? By Doreen Greenberg, Ph.D. t#ixzz1X3CDXWs6http:// t#ixzz1X3CDXWs6  Doreen Greenberg, Ph.D.  Ennis, Catherine D;Solmon, Melinda A;Santina, Barbara;Loftus, Susan J, Creating a sense of family in urban schools using the & sport for peace; & curriculum, Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport; Sep 1999; 70, 3; ProQuest Central pg. 273  Kauer, Kerrie J ; Krane, Vikki "Scary Dykes" and "Feminine Queens": Stereotypes and Female Collegiate Athletes. Women in Sport & Physical Activity Journal15. 1 (Spring 2006): Women in Sport & Physical Activity Journal15. 1  Koivula, Nathalie Gender stereotyping in televised media sport coverage Sex Roles; Oct 1999; 41, 7/8; ProQuest Central pg. 589